Upcoming bond issue explained

by jmaloni

Thu, Sep 2nd 2010 03:00 pm

by Luanne Zuccari

Orleans/Niagara BOCES community
outreach coordinator

Some Niagara-Wheatfield
residents are wondering how, in these tight economic times for schools, the
Board of Education can be putting to a vote an $11 million capital project that
includes more than $4 million in safety updates and the rest in Greenway plans
to create and improve recreational opportunities for students and the
community.

The Greenway part of the
plan is funded with N-W's part of the New York State Power Authority Greenway
Fund, at no cost to the taxpayer. But what about the Safe Schools part of the
project? The answer lies in
the way New York's Gov. David Paterson has structured state aid for schools.

"While the governor's state
aid to education proposal severely reduces monies going to local school
districts for operating expenses, his proposed 2010-11 budget continues to
increase building aid to the state's public schools," said N-W's School
Business Manager Kerin Dumphrey. "The reduction in operating aid is not good
news. However, an increase in building aid confirms this may be the last time
schools like Niagara-Wheatfield, which is proposing this capital improvement
project, can take advantage of high state building aid."

The way in which the state
budget is structured allows for the governor to make an increase in one area
(building aid), while making decreases in another area (operating aid), he
explained. In Niagara-Wheatfield's
case, 86 percent of what the state allows to be aidable in the proposed $5
million capital improvement project for school safety will come from state
building aid, while 14 percent of the aidable portion will come from the
voters.

One hundred percent of the
Integrated Greenway and Recreation Project at the high school/middle school
site will come entirely from such state building aid or the Host Community
Greenway Fund (a result of Niagara-Wheatfield's participation in the
relicensing agreement with the New York State Power Authority), Dumphrey said.
"Without the state's financial commitment to maintaining its public schools,
most districts would not be able to afford to keep their facilities up to the
demands of the state Education Department's safety codes."

Much needed safety updates
for Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District buildings and facilities are
part of a capital project plan that will be considered by voters in the
district on Tuesday, Sept. 21, when they go to the polls to vote on the
$11,085,000 measure designed to update facilities and improve recreational
facilities and opportunities for both students and the public.

"There is nothing more
important in a school district than to ensure the safety and security of our
students, in order to provide the kind of learning environment they need to
achieve," said Superintendent of Schools Carl Militello. "This plan, at this
time, with the advantages built in for financing it, is something we, as a
district, cannot afford not to do."

"The Safe Schools part of
this plan totals $4,991,000, which will cost the average homeowner in the
district about $21 more per year for three or four years, and includes safety
improvements that have been needed for some time," said Dumphrey. "We can't put
off measures that make our students, and in many cases, members of our
community, safe and more secure. We have an opportunity to use some funding
that will very likely not be available to us in the future, and now is the
optimum time to get this work done."

The Greenway Plan part of
the capital project totals more than $6 million, and is funded primarily by the
district's part of the New York State Power Authority Greenway Fund. Work included in this part of the plan
will be completed at no cost to taxpayers.

The safety work for the
high school will include $750,000 for replacing 50,000 square feet of roofing
over the pool, gym, cafeteria and auditorium area; $263,000 for expanding the
technology server room to increase cooling, power and move equipment; and
$105,000 for installation of 14 interactive white boards or projectors. At
Edward Town Middle School, the plan includes $105,000 to install 14 white
boards; $631,000 to replace concrete entrance steps and handrails in the front
of the building; to add a snow melt system and additional lighting to improve
safety. At West Street Elementary School, included is $70,000 to install white
boards. Colonial Village Elementary is slated for $1,063,000 for replacement of
degraded parking lots; reconfiguration of the school bus drop-off areas;
improvements to the storm water drainage system; new sidewalks for handicapped
accessibility; adding new playground and building accessibility; and $240,000
for a new vented synthetic gym floor. At Errick Road Elementary, work planned
includes $881,000 for installation of 10 white boards and additional storm
drain installation.

Interactive whiteboards are
used in schools today as replacements for traditional whiteboards or
flipcharts. They provide ways to show students anything that can be presented
on a computer's desktop (educational software, websites, and others). In
addition, interactive whiteboards allow teachers to record their instruction
and post the material for review by students at a later time. This can be a
very effective instructional strategy for students who benefit from repetition,
who need to see the material presented again, for students who are absent from
school, for struggling learners, and for review for examinations. Students can
record brief instructional blocks for review - they will see the exact presentation
that occurred in the classroom with the teacher's audio input. This can help
transform learning and instruction.

"Some safety updates that
benefit students and the public are included in the Greenway Funding and can be
brought about at no cost to taxpayers," said Dumphrey. "For instance,
increasing the available storage space for field and track equipment,
improvements to the stadium bleachers, resurfacing of the track, updates for
the restrooms to bring them up to code, the new kitchen area, and locker rooms
are all safety improvements that are included in the Greenway portion of the
capital project."

Because of the importance
of the safety and security measures that are included in this project, the
district urges residents to go to the polls and vote on Sept. 21. Polling will
be held at the Niagara-Wheatfield High School Adult Learning Center on Saunders
Settlement Road from noon to 8 p.m.